WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Loretta Anne Neph – lover of ice cream, wine, and sequined tops, expert hostess, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, left this world a little less bright on Sunday, July 22, 2018.
Loretta was born in Detroit, on May 6, 1933 to her beloved parents Michael and Anna Sparks. She eloped with the love of her life, Jerry, on July 2, 1951 and they were happily married for the next 65 years. They raised one daughter, Michaeline, and one granddaughter, Jennifer (TJ).
Loretta and Jerry traveled the world together, with adventures from Florida to Europe to Irons, MI, where the family would gather “up north” at her sister Veronica’s (Neil) house. Loretta loved spending time surrounded by family and friends, and was known to cook enough food to feed the Russian army. She was best friends with her sister Chris (Dave), whom she loved with all her heart, and she was an extremely proud great-grandmother to her sweet boy, Ashton.
To say Loretta was fiercely determined would be an understatement, and all that knew her loved her. Loretta taught us how to take care of one another, how to be devoted, and how to do just about everything “the right way”. Most significantly, Loretta never turned her back on someone in need, and she believed that family always comes first.
In her last months on this Earth, Loretta might be found holding the hand of a friend, straightening a crooked collar, wiping down the dining table, planning a menu for a gathering, eavesdropping on a nearby conversation, or generally telling everybody what to do at all times. She impacted more lives than she knew. And She Persisted.
A celebration of Loretta’s life will be held at 6pm on Friday August 17, 2018 at the Macedonian Cultural Center, Sterling Heights, MI.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, whom we cannot thank enough for taking truly incredible care of Loretta.
Local arrangements by Hohner Funeral Home.
